Chapter 17

Charlene had been the only one to leave a bad aftertaste, and Edie knew she shouldn’t judge all women by one lapse in judgement. But she wasn’t sure she was ready to let herself get caught up in anyone else just yet. A relationship took time and effort or it fizzled out, as she’d learned in the past. And she had too much on her plate already. Plus there was the fact that Joanne was essentially a client, or related to a client, which might get messy.

Still, she couldn’t deny the immediate attraction she felt to Joanne. Part of it had been the mussed clothes and wide-eyed, just woken up stare when they first met. But it went deeper than that, as Edie found out over lunch. Joanne was very pretty, and forthright—she spoke her mind and knew what she wanted, and her obvious interest in Edie only added to her appeal.

And really, what harm was there in one date? Dinner while listening to a jazz quartet sounded like a classy way to spend the evening and unwind, and if anything, Edie knew she could use some downtime. So why not?

* * * *

Edie usually didn’t dither over what to wear, but then again, she usually didn’t have anyone she was trying to impress, either. When she came home after work, she surprised herself by taking a quick shower, then spending way too much time standing in front of her open closet door with nothing but a towel wrapped around her body, her damp hair dripping onto her shoulders as she tried to decide what to wear. Jeans or slacks? A button-down blouse or a pullover shirt? Classy or sexy? What image did she want to portray, exactly?

I want to look nice,she thought, exasperated. In the end she compromised—jeans and a dressy top, and for once she actually dug out a pair of earrings from the dresser drawer, a pair of small gold hoops she hadn’t worn in ages. Part of looking nice was feeling good, and nothing made her feel better than wearing jeans. She toyed with the idea of pulling on her Tims—Joanne had already seen her work boots, how bad could that be? But in the end, she found a pair of dusty black flats in the back of her closet and spent a half hour rubbing them down with a lint roller until she was satisfied they were dust-free. They pinched her toes, and she knew she’d probably get a blister on at least one of her heels by the end of the evening, but she had to admit they didlook good.

Earlier Joanne had texted to let Edie know she was busy with her brother’s kids for most of the day, which was to be expected, but she asked if Edie minded meeting at the brewery before the show. Personally Edie thought that was a great idea. That way, if things turned sour, she wouldn’t feel obligated to hang around too long after they left. She could go her own way and not have to drop Joanne off first, or make Joanne drive her home. Even if things did work out, she wouldn’t have to make up an excuse why she couldn’t come in if Joanne invited her, or she’d feel awkward for not inviting Joanne back to her place. Somehow Joanne didn’t strike her as the type of girl who took no for an answer, and no matter how well they got on, Edie already knew before leaving the house that thatwasn’t where the evening was headed, at least not for her.

So, she’d drive to Carytown and hopefully find a spot to park somewhat close by. Friday night, it might be easier said than done, but she scooped up her keys and headed out to her truck, only ducking into the bathroom once to check her hair once in the mirror. She wore it loose tonight, and the ends were still slightly damp, but she looked as good as she ever would. Giving herself a tight smile, she said, “You can do this.”

Then she flicked off the bathroom light and headed for the front door before she could change her mind.

* * * *

7

Joanne was never one to let the grass grow under her for long—sure, things hadn’t worked out with Miranda, but there was always someone else waiting to be met, someone new she could get to know. She never wanted for company. Before she started working too much, and before Miranda had come along, she used to spend her weekends on the town, having fun and living it up, enjoying Richmond’s nightlife and making the most of being single. With Miranda, the two of them went out often, enjoying each other’s company before Joanne started working late and Miranda became bitter about the long hours she spent trying to get her real estate business off the ground. When Miranda had left, Joanne found herself in a rut, one she hadn’t bothered to dig out of at first, because it was easier to work late and come home to an empty apartment, and fall asleep after a few glasses of wine, only to wake up and do it all again the next day, and the next, and the next.